Electrolytic apparatus.



' FRANK IVICDONALD, OF rItQ-)ARINGr SPRING, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS.

Speeieation of Letters liatent.

Patented Maich 13, 19b6.

Appiicaionntd April 27, i905. serai No. 257,636.

ToZZ whom/25 may concern: y i

Be it known that I, FRANKMQDONALD, a

'subject of the King of'Great Britain, residing at Roaring Spring in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new'and useful Improvements in Electrolytic Apparatuses; and I do vdeclare the following to beafull, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, Vsuch as will enable others skilled inthe art towhich'it appertains to makeand use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in electrolytic apparatus; and it consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangementof' devices hereinafter shown and.

described. 1

One object of the invention isto provide a continuous andvautomatic feed of a concentrated solution of sbdium chlorid tothe anode- 'compartment of ah electrolytic cell, such as shown in .Patent N969? ,157,y granted to me April 8, 1902. Iny such devices a solution of causticsoda is produced in the cathode chambers-or compartments of the cell, and-chlorin gas is roduced'inVthe anode-co1npartment,

the ch erin thus reduced. being used in the mai'iuacture of b caching liquids.

Another object of the invention fis to pro-k vide a simple and eilicient means whereby the chlorin gas evolved from `the overflow liquid otelectrolytic cells of this characterl may be utilizedto produce chlorid of lime.

The above and other objects, which will appear as the nature ol my invention is better understood, are accomplished by means of the construction illustrated in, the accom# panying drawings, in which* ing my invention` Figure lis a diagrammatic view illustrat- Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the absorbingtoujers; and Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view through. the same.

'Referring to the drawings by numeral, l denotcs'an electrolytic cell, the construction and. o ieration of which is described in detail in my atent N o. 697 ,157, previously referred to. The solution of sodium ehlorid is fed through a supply-pi )e 2() to the anode-conn .partment of this cel and said supply is controlled by a valve 23. The latter is in turn controlled by a lioat 23', which is' mounted iiia tank 2l, `having communication with the bottom of the anode-compartinentot the cell 1 through an acidiesisting tube or ipe 20; Owing to the tube 2 2, the level of t ie brine Solution Will be the saine in both the anodecompartment of the cell and in thetank 21, and at a suitable point in said tank is connect ed an overilowpipe 30, which leads to an acid-resisting gas-collecting'pipe 3l, which.

may b'eoi`- any form and construction.-V I

preferably, however, arrange the pipe or receptacle 31 beneath a series or row of the cells l l, sothat the overflow of the anodc-compartment ci each or" said cells-dischargesinto said pipe. f The pipe`3l is of such size and its outlet connections are such'that the weak brine discharged into it i'rom'the pipes 30 is maintained at av constant level, sothat there'is .a sullicient space in the upper'portion of said pipe 3 l to permit the chlorin gas evolved from such brineto collect. Thesolution enters the tank 21 atv the v bottom in a comparatively slow stream, and the chlorin gas does not gen-v erate .to .any great extent in said tank,- owing to the fact that the solution is not agitated;

As the solution passes ina small stream t0 the pipe 31 whatevcr vquantity of gas itevolved willpass tothe towers 42. discharged from the pipe 3l through a suitable conductor or connection 32 into the lower portion of aresaturating-tank 33, the bottom 'of whichis covered with salt, as shown at 34. tank and overflows vfrom the latter 4through a pipe -or connection'35 'into a tank 36, from which it is drawn oil, by means of a suitable pump or elevating device 36', throughy api e (ir-conductor 37 to an'elevated tank 38. Tlie solution thus-discharged into the tank 38 is adapted tov be fed Aby gravitythrouh the pipo 20 'to the anodcfcompartment of tie' cell 1, and if such solution is not strong enough fresh brine may be admitted into the tank38 through varpipe or connection-39- Itw'ill be understood that in the o )eration of cells of the character described tlie condition of the solution in the anode-chamber is of great im. poitance, a' concentratedsolution ot brine as iree as possible from impurities being indis- The weak brine is The brine is thus strengthener'l inthe pensable it a high eiliciency is to be main from the solution in the pipe or receptacle 31,

said gas isv conducted from the upper portion of` said pipe through'a suitable acidresisting gas-pipe 40 through the lower end or bottom Aof one of a series of'absorbing-towers 42.

These towers, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, consist of tile-sections 43, secured upon each other, the lowermost section of each tower or tier being spaced, as

shown at 44, from the bottom of a cementtank 45, in which said towers are mounted.

The bottom section of each of the towers, eX-

c`eptin r the two end ones, is connected by a suitab e pipe 46 to the top section of the next adjacent tower, so that the chlorin gas which is discharged into the lower end of each of said towers may pass in a circuitous courseV through the device, the gas passing upwardly through each towerand downwardly through the pipes 46, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2 of the drawings. In order to absorb vthe chlorin, lime-water or milk-of-lime is sprayed into the top of' each of the-.towers through pipes 47, which connect with asuitable supply-pipe 48. This lime-water falls into the tank 45 and is maintained at a cone y stant level, so as to forma seal for the lower ends of the towers 43. The last tower of the series is rovided with an outlet-pipe 49, and

and the minor details oi construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing anyof the advantages of this invention; 4 i

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by -Letters Patent, is

In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of an electrolytic cell, a tank in communication with the anodecom')artment of said cell, a supply-pipe for supp ying a solution of brine tosaid anodc-con'ipartment, a valve in said supply-pi pe, a ball-fioat in said tank connected by evers to said controlling-valve, a resaturating-tank, an over How connection between the 'first-mentioned tank and said resaturating-tank, an overllowtank, an elevated tank, a pump for elevating"-" the liquid from said overflow-tank to said elevated tank, means for conducting the brine in saidelevated tank to said valve, a gas-col lecting pipe and a series of vertical towers connected to said as-colleoting pipe,'substan tially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK MCDONALD,

Witnesses: v W. MS. HAIR,

A. J. CHURCHILL. 

